Medical Center To Get Cash Infusion

It stands to receive almost $640,000 in cash reimbursements from various programs.

Meeting Monday afternoon, the authority voted to allow CEO Jim Yarborough to take the steps necessary to meet the “matching funds” it must put up to receive the government reimbursements.

But the lion’s share, $350,000, will come from the federal government’s Medicare cost report. Essentially, the reporters have concluded that BJC was under-reimbursed over the year for the Medicare services it provided.

The two other reimbursements are for “disproportionate share” services under Medicare, a program designed to compensate hospitals for higher costs for Medicare patients. States pay into the fund in order to get money back, and BJC must pony up more than $245,000 for its part of Georgia’s match for which it will receive more than $535,000.

Yarborough indicated he would try to find the money for the match without borrowing money, but if he cannot, he is authorized to tap the hospitals line of credit.